Progress

Learning the Android API is slightly more intense than I thought it would be ;) I have been making progress. I KNOW my code is really inefficient, but I need to have some more experience before I can really optimize it. Now, for some pictures of my progress.

The methods to allow the buttons to do something

Emulator starting up

Booting...

almost done booting

Installing the app (highlighted text)

WE'RE UP

menu item select

the image is a prototype ImageView

Buttons

Options Menu

And it works! ;)

So far I have the major menus, the game view, and the buttons operational. You may notice how simplistic it looks and how there are nothing really exciting, but I said this process would be open development. So here you are..SNOW...so far.

If you have any questions, suggestions, criticisms, advice, mentoring, yelling, crying, mocking, insulting, or just general discussion, shoot us an email: assassin.scone.games@gmail.com

To be continued...

~V 1.0~

 //If you have any topics you would like to see me write about, drop me a comment\\

Thinking and Consciousness

How could one define consciousness? It is such a real thing to each one of us, but almost impossible to contrive what consciousness actually is. In that video, Henry Markram demonstrates his crazy awesome super-computer simulation of a Neocortical Column. While that is impressive, the brain is made up of millions of those neocortical structures which together do indeed give us thought, perception, emotions, and consciousness.

Now in the beginning said video Mr. Markram discusses several different theories asto what our friend consciousness might  indeed be. Consciousness is actually a very ambiguous item when you try to define it. When actually does consciousness "begin" and "end"? When you can understand the world around you? Or when you are merely perceiving it with one or more senses?

Another item we need be considering is what thinking is. I believe we could say that thinking is "simulating" a situation in our minds, simply making a decision based on past experiences, or creating an idea. But what is a thought even made of and held, and for that matter, what and how are memories stored and retrieved? One theory upheld by Cheuk-Wah Wong (quite a fascinating man) is that a unit of thought is a collection of neurons with their connected synapses, known as a Thoughtset. Mr. Wong also theorizes that thoughts and memories are indeed the same, other than the fact that a memory is a thought "frozen" into the brain. This seems like an obvious logical step, but is quite important to develop our understanding of consciousness further.

Thoughtsets consist of two still hypothetical synapse types, the modulation and the content synapse.
A Contentset, is a group of 1000's of content synapses (d'oh) and these are believed to do the actual initiation and maintaining of a thought. Whenever a thought need be transferred to memory, the modulation synapses spring into action and work together with the content synapses to consolidate the thought into a memory. How this occurs is...a little UNKNOWN. But it is believed that our brains do this by:

"inducing expression of genes to change the polypeptides and influxes of the ionic channels in the postsynaptic membranes"

hmmm...that's a little complicated. How about we simplify things a bit. "inducing expressions of genes", so a string of mRNA that contains instructions to "change the polypeptides and influxes of the ionic channels" eesh... well since the ionic channels are responsible for transporting the molecules which create the electrical impulses which Henry Markram has told us are thought. Then we can probably decide that what the Doctor is saying is that the actual charges and ability to pass charges are changed. This way, whenever the synapses are refired the memory will be recalled, yeah? So whenever a thought is being tended, it is usually just stored in the pre-frontal lobe, kept in our "short-term memory". Whenever it is stored in our "long-term memory" (whenever you can remember events and facts hours and days later) the hippocampus is stimulated. We can then safely say that the hippocampus is probably either linking your different senses together into one episodic memory that contains, all perceptions at the time of the memory, or that all the information is simply routed through the hippocampus when it is being stored. My vote is both. And would you look at that! If we examine this very....lofty diagram of the brain from an article by Cheuk-Wah-Wong, you will find that he agrees that the very thoroughly researched Limbic System  is responsible for storing memories.

What we are interested in is mainly C, but the whole diagram is useful stuff

So now that we have our memories stored, I think we should take on what consciousness is....herrmmm. Getting to the point sucks. ;) So consciousness, is being aware according to Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition (© 2009, Elsevier), is: 

a clear state of awareness of self and the environment in which attention is focused on immediate matters, as distinguished from mental activity of an unconscious or subconscious nature.

So we can take that as meaning, you can think, you can know your own thoughts, and at least know that your environment exists. So only one sense, I guess, is all that is required for this "consciousness". THUS,we can decide that consciousness is the cycle of creating and cultivating new thoughts via stimulus from either the environment or from your own memory, making decisions about these thoughts and memories using other memories and decisions, storing these decisions and thoughts in your short-term memory, and then either recycling those units of thought

~V 1.01~

//If you have any topics you would like to see me write about, drop me a comment

Word Inventing

Even through the English language contains 750,000 words, sometimes I cannot find a word that specifically expresses my emotions. Such as a really fun time: Funderful. That is more of a conglomerate though, instead an actually new word, like frindle from Andrew Clements. But even there, frindle is just another word for pen. So what I'm talking about is a honestly new word meaning something that cannot be described in one existing word. Ciggly: the shunning of a great gift, act of kindness, or other happiness.

I have already a few of the different types of word inventing, but I thought I might as well make a nice little list.

Renaming: just giving an existing object or idea a new word; Frindle
Combining: adding two or more words together in an abbreviated form, but is a completely unique idea; Funderful
Inception: haha tribute to the movie, but honestly a new a word uninspired by anything else; Ciggly
Shortening: combining two words as too make them shorter, like "del" in Spanish; wend (week-end)

Now that we have defined word inventing, I am going to have to admit that I really like word inventing! It allows you to be more understood, if people understand what your doing, and is usually quite funny in a conversation. However, of course this process takes some finesse to actually implement without just making yourself look annoying. You shouldn't ever start a sentence with a word in your mind that you WANT to use. You will look like a annoying prick. That is bad. You should only invent words when you have a thought in your mind, and can't find a word to express yourself. That is a truly exciting event, because you are now free to invent. beautiful.

~V 1.3~

//If you have any topics you would like to see me write about, drop me a comment

Origami

Origami is another passion of mine. In its purest form it is the folding of a single square of paper into the likeness of an object or idea without cutting or tearing the paper. Now that we have these rules in place we can discuss the refined examples of the art form.

Satoshi Kamiya's Ryujin

What you see in the picture is what I believe, the pinnacle of modern origami. The complexity of the model is completely beyond the scope of my imagination. It usually takes something around 40 hours for an experienced folder to complete. It has something around 1000 scales, a mustache, a tongue, eyebrows, feet, and everything else that a walking, fire-breathing dragon should come with.

HOWEVER, getting to this point has been a very long road. For the first few THOUSAND years after the invention of origami in Japan, the models rarely had more than 20 steps. Such as this Samurai hat:

Which has 8 steps. So that's pretty much how things stayed until the "father of modern origami", Yoshizawa, entered the picture. He was the the inventor of over 50,000 origami models and really started to actually be expressive with origami, and use it as you would any other medium to express yourself. He also contributed to the art my inventing a technique called wet-folding. While wet-folding, you actually wet the paper while folding it. (yeah crazy, wet-folding is folding wet paper...) Instead of creating a soggy, and torn mound of paper like you may think, when applied correctly, it creates some of the most beautiful origami creations I have ever seen. This technique helps create a very 3d shape which makes any model many times more realistic. ie

Dryfolded rose

Wetfolded rose

As you can see how much more fluid and realistic the model on the left is compared to the right. BUT, the model on the left was also made with crappy paper and probably not the most experienced folder. Wet-folding still remains the best way to fold curves and form tight points, as in insects, bird beaks, and dragon talons.

After Yoshizowa came several other folders that changed the entire idea of origami. The foremost of these folders was probably Robert Lang. He introduced computers into the mix and created incredibly anatomically accurate models of all sorts of animals and insects. He did this by using programs which he wrote, to calculate the different folds required to create the base of a model. Hence the CP (Crease Pattern) was born. CP's are currently the easiest and most accurate way for folders to share models. Below is Lang's Bull Moose and it's CP.

The other major innovator I would list would probably be Satoshi Kamiya. His method of model creation is unlike any other folder I have even heard of. Satoshi starts by imagining what he wants the model to look like and then unfolds it in his mind!! It is surreal...The catch is he's only 29! His works include the above Ryujin, the Ancient Dragon, the Phoenix, and quite a few other mind boggling creations.

Now of course their were MANY MANY other major contributors to the art, but those are who I consider the most ground shaking.

~V 1.0~

//If you have any topics you would like to see me write about, drop me a comment\\